The “Tell” – Springdell Winter CSA Pickup #3

Hi everyone, Jess here and Baby, it’s cold outside!!! Hopefully everyone that is picking up their Springdell Winter CSA received the message that the 4th pickup has been bumped forward to the hours of 12-3. Hopefully the high noon start will allow the sun to help our farmer and the produce a bit. Meanwhile, let’s review the bounty from CSA pickup #3!

Tully Farms Egg Nog!!!

Enjoyed as is by kids, grown-ups enjoyed with a splash of spiced rum and nutmeg sprinkle

The egg nog was so yummy! I had more than one tasty nog beverage while cooking throughout the week.

I loved the commemorative bottle from Tully Farms. It’s already getting some re-use in our house.

The egg nog-basted acorn squash was a hit! The nog, once roasted onto the squash, had a custard-like consistency and really added to the flavor of the squash. I will do this again for sure next time I get a jug of that hearty egg nog in my hands!

The last of the nog went into an egg nog pie, which my testers say is best when warmed up a bit. Try the recipe above, but feel free to cut back on the sugar, I used 1/3 less than the recipe called for and it was great!

Let’s have another shout out for the Lacos (aka lettuce tacos), which were a delicious beginning to the pickup. Fresh and crunchy, this lettuce can substitute for our tortillas any day!

The meat and potatoes meal of cube steak and mushroom and onion gravy was scrumptious. I was even able to satisfy my picky ones by sautéing the mushrooms and onions separate from the gravy and adding them in at the end. Although I like the convenience of the slow cooker version (such as this blade steak recipe), this version really improves the flavor when I have a little extra time to mind the stove.

Along with the beef cube steaks from this month’s meat subscription, I dipped into the winter storage for potatoes, onions, corn, black beans, peach tomatillo salsa, beef bone broth and acorn squash. Frozen berries and kale went into the usual morning smoothies.

I’m still working my way through the 50 pounds of pollock that my Uncle Harry shared with me after a fall fishing trip. Here is some baked with cracker crumbs, Worcestershire Sauce and melted Amish roll butter. The fresh salad ingredients and the apple balanced the buttery flavor of the meaty fish.

A little more of the pollock went into a simple and hearty New England fish chowder using Nan’s recipe. I’ll write this one up soon, it’s a standby around here.

For the Winter Holiday Brunch, I went back to the stand for some Ben’s maple syrup, sweet potatoes, bacon, and breakfast sausage, and I dunked into the freezer for some blueberries for the french toast bake.

The onions and garlic came from the onion bin (from the CSA a few pickups back). I just love this brunch. It’s tasty and all whipped up the night before using farm ingredients. Did I mention I got to see Sarah this week? The Buck family came over for breakfast and some good old bacon and eggs. She’s doing well in Pennsylvania, and we definitely miss her here on the blog. She sends her love!

I brought a jar of summer peaches to a brunch at my friend Elizabeth’s house (of Fat Moon fame), and there were some lovely farm to table dishes there, including Elizabeth’s own shredded potato and egg bake, with red peppers adorning her broccoli Christmas tree.

What a creative dish! Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth!

Speaking of creative, my boys went off the CSA grid this week making a fancy dinner for my other half and I. The dinner consisted of a pineapple sofa and a Ghirardelli chocolate carpet. Daddy was an apple, I was a peach, and my kids were oranges and kiwis. The graham cracker table housed a Swedish fish and the kiwi dog had his eye on that for sure.

The boys know I’d be sad without any protein to accompany this dinner, so they made a ham and cheese tree out of the pineapple top. I must say, it’s a stretch when it comes to farm to table, but the boys get bonus points for creativity!

The stretch to being creative was the basis for a few ramen lunches this week. Gerry’s microgreens easily dressed up this instant lunch and made it feel just a little less sinful. Thanks, Johnny Putt Farm!

A few lemon zucchini blueberry muffins were thawed from the freezer, and tasted as great as the day they were baked. It’s wonderful how a batch of these muffins becomes a sight for sore eyes during the winter season, especially when so much zucchini can wind up in the swap box during the summer months.

I think that’s about it for this bounty. How have you been enjoying your share? As always, I love hearing from you! I’m looking forward to cooking up another share with you, see you back here soon for the next “Show” of the Springdell Show and Tell!

About Jess

Jess Anderson is the creator of CSA|365 and is passionate about the local food movement. A busy mother of two, Jess loves keeping her family fed by honest local food. She is involved with the Westford Community Garden Working Group, Friends of Fat Moon, and is the current chair of the Westford Strawberries 'N Arts Festival.